Bribery scandal: Ayariga would soon cry - Charles Owusu

A staunch member of the Progressive People’s Party, Mr. Charles Owusu has jumped to the defence of Mr. Boakye Ayarko following unsubstantiated reports that he tried bribing members of the appointments committee to approve his candidature.

He contends that he sees no reason a capable person would pay bribe to MPs when he knows that the vetting procedure used in the house, would allow him to appear before them for the second time even if they refuse to pass him for the first time.

Secondly, Mr. Owusu explains that when it comes to numbers, NPP MPs exceed NDC MPs in the house which makes it easier for Mr. Agyarko to be passed without paying any form of bribe.

Bawku Central MP, Mahama Ayariga, incurred the wrath of his colleague MPs when he alleged that envelopes containing GH¢3,000 each were distributed to members of the Appointments Committee of the House to approve the nomination of Boakye Agyarko as Minister of Energy.

Although Parliament is yet to conclude the investigation and publish findings on the bribery allegations involving Mr. Boakye Agyarko and some leaders of the House, Mr. Charles Owusu has predicted Mr. Boakye Ayarko would be exonerated and come out as clean as a whistle.

In an interview with Peacefmonline.com, the PPP scribe noted that a resourceful person like Mr. Agyarko demonstrated during his vetting session which aired on national television that he over qualifies to be Ghana's Energy Minister.

“Boakye Agyarko would never pay bribe or a dime to convince MPs to approve his candidature. He is a good orator and on top of that, he has brilliant ideas that are workable to end this devastating power interruption that the NDC has left behind”.

Last week, the Bawku Central MP rattled Parliament when he alleged that Mr. Boakye Ayarko’s bribery attempt was made through the chairman of the committee, Hon. Osei Owusu.

The news which started on Radio Gold last Friday spread like wildfire and Hon. Osei Owusu was quick to react to it by claiming Mahama Ayariga’s allegation were “colossal untruth.”

He pressed on by requesting the speaker of Parliament, Mike Oquaye to grant him immunity to go to court and clear his bruised integrity in the bribery allegation that hit the committee he chairs.

Aside him, the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, has also denied sharing envelopes containing money to his colleagues on the Appointments Committee to influence Mr. Boakye Ayarko’s passage.

Happenings linked to the saga, convinces Mr. Charles Owusu that Mahama Ayariga would soon be shamed in public for forging his own story.

“Ayariga would soon be crying. He would cry like a baby. Machinations against a gem like Agyarko would never stand. It is sad a man of repute like him has been targeted by Ayariga. I don’t believe it would destroy him; he would grow stronger and serve Ghana diligently”.